Electric-lamp socket



Filed May e, 1926 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 ELECTRIC LA"? SOCKET '2 Sheets-Shoot 2 Filed May Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

* UNITED STATES 1,645,860 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ILE, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO REYNOLDS SPRING COMPAN Y 0F JACKSON; MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION -01 DELAWARE.

ELECTRIC-LAMP sooxnr.

Application filed May 6, 1926. Serial No. 107,285.

The invention relates to improvements in electric lamp sockets.

The object of the present invention is to .improve the Construction of electric lamp sockets and to provide a simple, and comparatively inexpensive construction which will be strong and durableand which will enable the parts to be easily and quickly assembled; i

'A further object of the invention is to provide an electric lamp socket construction in which the parts will be rigidly maintained in position so that there will be no liability in the use of the socket'of the parts becomin loose and accidentally short circuiting or otlierwise becoming inoperative.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a lamp socket adapted to afford ample air space aroundthe conductor elements so that there will be noliability of arcing 'or sparking.

Another object of the invention is to in-- te-rlock the screw shell contacts with the insulating body so that there will be no liability of the screw shells becoming loose and rotating in the insulating body when screwing the plug of an electric lamp into and out of them.

' \Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the s irit or sacrificing any of the advantagesfo the invention' In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of'a doublei lamp socket constructed in accordance with this invention. 3 Y r Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view. I v

3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through they upper portion of the device.

Fig. 5 is an elevationof one of the sections of the insulating body showing the inner face thereof. p

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the outer face of the section,

outer face of the section.

insulating bod Fig. 7 .is a detail perspective View of the Fig. 12 is a similar view illustrating the Referring particularly to the double socket illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, the insulating body of the socket is divided longitudinally into two sections 1 each section being molded and consisting of a single piece of Bakelite or similar plastic insulating ma- .terial'and comdposed ofan upper neck 2 and downwardly iverging sockets 3 in which are arranged screw shell contacts 4 constructed vofsuitable conducting material and secured together at their adjacent sides at 5 by solderor other suitable-means located in an opening 6 in the adjacent wall or por tion 7 of the downwardly diverging sockets 3. The screw shell contacts are provided at their opposite sides with. projecting lugs 8 arranged in i'ecesses9 in the inner faces of the outer walls of the sockets 3. The lugs 8 and the connecting portions ofthe screw shell contacts interlock the latter with. the insulating body and prevent any rotary movement of the screw shell contacts when screwingthe plug of a lamp into and out of the-device.

The screw shell co'ntactsare provided in their top wallswith openings. lOfor the reception of the terminals 11 of a center izontal position and in spaced relation with the shell contacts and fitted in a substantially horizontal groove 13 in each section of the The upper neckportion of the insulating body is cylindrical and each section is provided-with a central longitudinal semi-cylindrical recess 14 and it has sidere'cesses 15located atopposite sides recess. 16 and the said horizontal groovejis formed in the horizontal recess Which provides an air space at the center contact bar 12. A central contact bar 12 is composed of a central horizontal portion-and downwardminal contact portions arranged at an obtuse angle to the downwardly diverging intermediate portions and in substantially the plane of the top walls of the interior shell contacts. vided with a conductor bar- 1'? which is approximately L-shaped and which is arranged in L-shaped grooves 18 formed in the side recesses 15. The side recesses 15 are approximately L-shaped as shown and; the grooves 18. which conform generally'to the configuration of the recesses areadapted to "permit the conductor bar 17 tobe arranged at either side of the central longitudinal re cess 14. This providesa reversible structure and facilitates a rapid assembling of the parts. The center contact bar is also reversible and may be readily'placed in its groove. The upper neck portion of the insulating body isprovided at the bottom thereof with a supporting rib'19 and it has a centralex-,

terior recess 20' extending upwardly from the rib at the outerside of each of its sectlons to receive a tongue 21 of an exterior screw shell contact 22 whereby the latter is interlocked with the neck of the insulating body and held against rotary. movement thereon. Each section of the insulating body is preferably reinforced below the neck with a vertical rib 23' The exterior screw'shell contact is fitted on the neck and is provided in its top wall with an opening 24 and the tongue 21 which de ends from the top of the exterior screw .shel contact is formed of a portionof the metal out from the top wall. of the exterior shell to form the top opening '24. The top wall of the exterior screw shell. is provided with a depression 25 and the up terminal 26 o the conductor bar 17 'is e nt downwardly intothe depression of the exterior screw shell contactv into en agement withthe same; 7

he opening24 in the top wall of'the -ex terior screw shell contact receives'an enlargement 27 of a button or top section 28 of Bakelite or other suitable insulating material. The enlargement 27 interlocks the buttonor top section 28 with the exterior screw shell contact and prevents rotary movement of the top section which'is providedwith a central opening 29 through which passes a [screw 30 having a head at its u per end and havmg a. lower threaded 611 which engages a threaded perforation 31 in the center contact bar. The top section 28' is'providedwithla metallic bushing 32 flanged at its upper end engaged by thexhead of the screw which head is preferably polygonalas shown but 7 any other desired construction may ofcourse be employed and forms a central projecting One of the shell contacts is proelectrical central semi-cylindrical recess of each section of the insulating body is provided with a notch or recess 33 to form openings for the ly diverging intermediate portions and tor-4 passageof the central connecting and conductor screw. The two sections of insulating bodya-re connected by a transverse bolt tially the same as the double socket, the insnlating body being composed oftwo section s'33 of Bakelite or similar material and having an upper neck ortion 36 and provided with downwar ly diverging side sockets 37 and a central downwardlyextending verticalsocket 38 located between the side sockets 37. Theneck portion is prolvide d in'each of the sections with a central vertical semi-cylindrical recess 39 and it has side recesses a0 and a bottom substantially" horizontal recess 41. The side recesses are approximately L-shaped and are provided with approximately L-shaped grooves 42 and the bottom horizontal recess is provided with a honzpntal groove 43. The sockets 37 and 38 receive interior screw shell contacts 44 and 45 which are connected together at their adjacent sides at 46 by solder or other suitable means arranged in openings 47 inv the adjacent dividing walls of the sockets" and the si'de shell contacts are provided at their outer sides with projecting lugs 48 V which en age recesses 49 in the inner faces of the wa ls of the side sockets at the outer 'side thereof- The lugs and the connected portions of the shellcontacts prevent. rotary movement. otthe said shell'contacts as here- "toforedescribed. The horizontal groove 43 receives"acentercontact bar 50wlnch has its terminals 51 arranged in openings in the top 7 walls of the side shell contacts and the center conductor and connecting screw 52 engages a threaded opening 53 in the center otthe contact bar. 50' and projects downwardly therefrom through an opening formed by notches 54 in the bottom wall'of the hori zontal recess and the lower end of the screw provides a central contact 3 for the central screw shell. contact.

One ofthe side screw shell contacts has mounted on it an approximately .L-sha ed conductor bar' 5 5 fjwhich ls fitted, in. the, tglIiOOVBS of the .s1de.recesses1at one side or ecentralrccess and thesaid conductorbars is r gidly secured to the shell contact similar" to the conductor bar of the double socket by soldering or other suitable means. The upper end 56 of the conductor bar 55 is bent into engagement with the exterior shell contact-57. The exterior shell contact 57 and the exterior of the neck portion of the sections are constructed exactl as heretofore described in connection with the double socket and the cap 58 is also constructed and arranged exactly the same as the cap of the double socket. As the details of the neck, the exterior screw shell contact and the top section are identically the same as the corresponding parts of the double socket a detailed description of these parts is deemed unnecessary. The parts of the triple socket are reversible and air spaces are provided around the conductor elements. The two sections of the insulating body are secured together by bolts 59 piercing the walls between the sockets in the same manner as the sections of the double insulating body of the double socket.

Vhat I claim is:

1. An electric lamp socket including an insulating body divided longitudinally and composed of two sections and provided with an upper neck portion and having lower sockets, said sections being provided with a central vertical recess and having side recesses located at opposite sides of the central recess and a bottom transversely disposed recess arranged below the central recess and extending to opposite sides thereof, interior screw shell contacts arranged in the said sockets, an exterior shell contact arranged on the neck, a conductor bar arranged in the side recesses of the sections at one side of the central recess and electrically connecting the exterior shell contact with one of the interior shell contacts, a central conducting bar arranged in the bottom recess, the side recesses and the bottom recess permitting a reversal of the parts to enable the same to be quickly assembled, a top insulating section fitted against the exterior screw shellv cesses with grooves, the side grooves being equally spaced from the center and the bottom groove extending to opposite sides of the center of the body, interior shell contacts arranged in the sockets and abuttingv against the upper ends thereof, an exterior shell contact arranged on the neck portion of the insulating body, a conductor bar fitted and conductor screw piercing the top section and having a threaded engagement with the center. contact bar;

3. An electric lamp socket including an insulating body divided longitudinally and composed of two sections provided with an upper neck and having a pair of lower diverging sockets and a lower central vertical socket, the inner faces of the sections being provided with central, side and bottom re-p cesses located at opposite sides ofthe center of the body and the bottom recess extending to opposite sides of the center, interior screw shell contacts arranged within the said sockets and abutting against the upper ends thereof and electrically connected with each other and provided with top openings, an exterior screw shell contact arranged on the neck of the insulating body, a conductor bar arranged in theslde recesses at one side of the central recess and electrically connecting the exterior shell contact with one ofthe interior shell contacts, the central and side recesses permitting a reversal of parts to enable the same tov be quickly assembled, a center contact bar mounted in the bottom recesses of the sections and having its terminals arranged in the openings of the shell contacts of the diverging sockets, atop insulating section fitted on the exterior shell contact and a combined conductor and connecting screw piercing the top section and having a threaded connection withthe central contact bar and projecting therefrom and forming a center contact at the opening of the shell of the vertical socket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

WILLIAM ILE.: 

